9 to 5

The weather may have been cold, wet and windy, but it certainly didn’t keep the audience away from attending "9 to 5" by Clitheroe Parish Church AODS. The stage was fairly simple, utilising both aprons as various alternative locations throughout the show. There were very few actual blackouts as a lot of the scene changing was done using a gauze and the actual cast. The opening number was strong and was delivered with an energy that the ensemble kept up right to the end. Wishing this particular show the ensemble have a lot to do and a lot to deliver, they kept the pace up without rushing and made every second that they were on the stage count, as I watched they made me believe that I was in the office with them - they had all obviously thought about and worked on their individual characters, regardless of whether they had lines or not they responded facially which was great to see. I must also commend everyone on the harmonies in this show, they blended well and the painstaking time spent to learn them all was time very well spent.

The main three ladies Violet ( Sue Chadwick), Doralee ( Alice Butterfield) and Judy (Jessica Balderstone) were a delight to watch. Their characters were very firmly in place and never once slipped, their vocals were all equally strong, diction, enunciation projection were good - if I’m being picky there was a bit of a gremlin with sound mixing for me personally - at times when all three were singing together I couldn’t hear Sue and Alice’s vocals as clearly as I could hear Jessica’s but, as I said, this is me being picky . Jessica is a gorgeous actress to watch as she really uses her face and her eyes to convey what’s going on in her characters mind. Alice as Doralee moved me in the way she allowed us to see the heart of her character and her vulnerability. Sue perfectly portrayed the jadedness of the battles her character had been through and it was especially touching the way she portrayed her turmoil and inner fight about her feelings for Joe. Kelly steed as Rox was a delight, from the second she stepped on the stage, she completely owned her part - her comedic timing was excellent. Damien Marsh as Franklin Hart JR was every inch the slimy reptile his character required, he made my skin crawl and yet I do know him to be a very pleasant gentleman so great portrayal. Sam Crabtree as Joe had some great scenes with Sue (Violet) their duet Let Love Grow was beautifully tender and delivered well.

It was lovely to see and hear an orchestra in the pit, unfortunately so many societies are having to make do with tracks these days. The choreography was sharp, interesting and well executed. I personally loved seeing the clean wings in the tap number. Costumes, hair and make up were well in keeping with the era of the show . The set design and props all worked well with the lighting - nothing drew my eye for the wrong reason. 

A very resounding Well Done Everyone, thank you for inviting me to your production and I hope to see you all again very soon.

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